High pressure free-radical polymerizations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10457757-B2
Application number	US-201615574310-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2016
Priority date	Jun 30, 2015
Publication date	Oct 29, 2019
Grant date	Oct 29, 2019

Abstract

A process to form an ethylene-based polymer comprising, in polymerized form, ethylene and at least one acid comonomer, said process comprising polymerizing a reaction mixture comprising the ethylene and the acid comonomer, in a reactor configuration comprising at least one Secondary compressor, at least one pressurization device, and at least one reactor selected from the following: at least one autoclave reactor, at least one tubular reactor, or a combination thereof; and wherein the reaction mixture is polymerized in the presence of at least one free-radical initiator, and at a pressure of at least 1000 Bar; and wherein at least a portion of a comonomer composition comprising at least a portion of the acid comonomer used in the polymerization, is compressed, to form a compressed comonomer composition, in the pressurization device, up to a discharge pressure ranging from 1000 Bar to 4000 Bar, and at a discharge temperature (DT) from 10 C to 100 C; and wherein the compressed comonomer composition bypasses the Secondary compressor, and is fed, downstream from the Secondary compressor, into the reactor, and/or into one or more feed streams to the reactor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process to form an ethylene-based polymer comprising, in polymerized form, ethylene and at least one acid comonomer,
said process comprising polymerizing a reaction mixture comprising the ethylene and the acid comonomer, in a reactor configuration comprising at least one Secondary compressor, at least one pressurization device, and at least one reactor selected from the following: at least one autoclave reactor, at least one tubular reactor, or a combination thereof; and
wherein the reaction mixture is polymerized in the presence of at least one free-radical initiator, and at a pressure of at least 1000 Bar;
wherein at least a portion of a comonomer composition comprising at least a portion of the acid comonomer used in the polymerization, is compressed, to form a compressed comonomer composition, in the pressurization device, to a discharge pressure ranging from 1000 Bar to 4000 Bar, and at a discharge temperature (DT) from 10° C. to 100° C.; and

wherein the compressed comonomer composition bypasses the Secondary compressor, and is fed, downstream from the Secondary compressor, into the reactor, and/or into one or more feed streams to the reactor;
wherein the at least one reactor comprises at least two reaction zones, zone 1 and zone i (i≥2); and wherein greater than, or equal to, 20 wt % of the compressed comonomer composition is fed to reaction zone 1 and/or greater than 20 wt % of the compressed comonomer composition is fed to reaction zone 2 (i=2).

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the discharge temperature (DT) is from 0 to 20° C. above the melting temperature of the acid comonomer, at the discharge pressure of the compressed comonomer composition.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the compressed comonomer composition is fed directly into the reactor and/or fed into an ethylene feed stream to the reactor.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein greater than, or equal to, 20 wt % of the compressed comonomer composition is fed to reaction zone 1.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein greater than 20 wt % of the compressed comonomer composition is fed to reaction zone 2 (i=2).

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein the reactor configuration further comprises at least one recycle stream.

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein the acid comonomer is selected from acrylic acid, (meth)acrylic acid, an acrylate, or a combination thereof.

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein the comonomer composition further comprises at least one compound selected from the following compounds i) through iv):

wherein, for Compound 1, R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7 and R8 are each independently selected from H, an alkyl, or an alkoxy;

wherein, for Compound 2, R1 is selected from OH or O—R, wherein R is alkyl; and R2, R3, R4 and R5 are each independently selected from H, an alkyl, or an alkoxy;

wherein, for Compound 3, R1, R2, R4 and R5 are each independently selected from H, an alkyl, or an alkoxy; and R3 is selected from H or an alkyl; or
iv) a combination of two or more of Compounds 1 through 3.

9. The process of claim 1 , wherein the comonomer composition further comprises a dialkyl-4-methylphenol, a dialkylphenol, or a combination thereof.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein greater than, or equal to, 20 wt % of the compressed comonomer composition is fed to reaction zone 1 and greater than 20 wt % of the compressed comonomer composition is fed to reaction zone 2 (i=2).

Assignees

• Dow Global Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Eddy Christopher R
• Bradley Jeffery S
• Berbee Otto J
• Munjal Sarat
• Gutermuth Bryan

Classifications

• Y02P20/582

  Recycling of unreacted starting or intermediate materials · CPC title

• C08F210/02 Primary

  Ethene · CPC title

• B01J3/00

  Processes of utilising sub-atmospheric or super-atmospheric pressure to effect chemical or physical change of matter; Apparatus therefor (pressure vessels for containing or storing compressed, liquefied or solidified gases F17C) · CPC title

• B01J3/04

  Pressure vessels, e.g. autoclaves · CPC title

• B01J3/042

  in the form of a tube · CPC title